Studies in First Peter Part 30
“10After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen. 12Through Silvanus, our faithful brother (for so I regard him), I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it! 13She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings, and so does my son, Mark. 14Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace be to you all who are in Christ” (I Peter 5:10-14).
When you emerge from your suffering, when you are rescued from this particular pain, you will feel the full experience of God making you “perfect, confirmed, strengthened, and established.”
“The God of all grace who called you” will give this to you. He is “the God of all grace.” Grace is not an attribute of God. Grace is His essence!
Now, because of Christ’s finished work on the cross and your belief in His gospel, you are already, “perfect, confirmed, strengthened, and established” no matter what circumstances you find yourself under. But our experience of these things feels very far off in the middle of distressing times. God knows this. And though He does not cause our suffering, He does use it to produce good in our lives. And we become stronger for it.
Peter’s final admonition in his letter is, “I am exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it!” This letter is grace from front to back, from beginning to end.
- “May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure” (I Peter 1:2).
- “As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries” (I Peter 1:10).
- “Fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (I Peter 1:13).
- “Show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life” (I Peter 3:7).
- “Serve one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (I Peter 4:10)
- “God is opposed the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (I Peter 5:5).
- “The God of all grace … will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you” (I Peter 5:10).
- “I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it!” (I Peter 5:12).
It is the grace of God in which we stand. And standing firm is available to us by the glorious power of Christ’s Sprit living in us. “The Spirit of glory and of God rests on you” (I Peter 4:14).